Nhs budget cause for grave concern – Kirsty Williams

"It is of grave concern that Health Boards could face a budget shortfall of £131 million. I'm not convinced that David Sissling and Lesley Griffiths realise how potentially risky the situation is. There seems to be a huge disconnect with what the Wales Audit Office is saying and what the NHS chief said last week.

"When faced with a huge shortfall like this, cutting costs by buying fewer paper clips just won't help LHBs break even. This is a serious amount of money and I am deeply concerned that towards the end of the financial year, when budgets will be extremely tight, vital services will have to close putting patient care and safety at risk.

"We saw this happen last year and some LHBs didn't even manage to meet their financial targets. I fear that towards the end of this financial year, patients across Wales will start to really feel the consequences of Labour's mismanagement of our NHS."